Debating for Democracy

Are you a community organizer? Or do you want to become one? A workshop Goucher is offering can help bolster your effectiveness or be the necessary catalyst to get you started.

“Debating for Democracy on the Road” is a free, daylong event that will provide activists of all levels with tools and tactics they need to get their message across to policymakers, community leaders, and the general public. It will be held Saturday, March 7, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Buchner Hall of the Alumnae/i House. A light breakfast and lunch will be provided.

Eric Sargent ’15, who attended the workshop two years ago when it was offered, said the event helped him start to think more strategically about communicating and constructing arguments in his work with Goucher Energy Action Revolution (G.E.A.R.). “The ability to convince others of your opinions and to inspire them to join their voices in support is crucial for the success of any organization or effort,” he said.

The environmental studies major took what he learned and implemented lobbying tactics on and off campus, including a bill supporting offshore wind energy in Maryland.

“We find our students have the excitement and the passion to do something in the community that will build community, but oftentimes they don’t know how to bring those thoughts into action,” said Cass Freedland, director of community-based learning at Goucher.

This year’s workshop will be led by community organizer John Gilbert, the national field director for Enroll America, a nonprofit working to maximize the number of citizens with health care insurance. Gilbert previously worked as the statewide field director for President Obama’s re-election campaign in Florida, and he worked as the national training director for Organizing for America, the grassroots organization that supports President Obama’s agenda.

The workshop tends to be interactive. Freedland said simply getting people up, moving, and talking to one another helps with strategy and being tactical. “It’s a way to start the conversation on your campus about how you can help your cause move forward,” she said. Whether participants’ interests are climate change, education, marriage equality, animal rights, prison reform, gender and racial equality, or social justice, there will be plenty of pertinent, applicable information that will be presented during the workshop.

Though sign-up has been robust, there is room for more. “It’s a really great opportunity, and we want to give it to as many as we can,” Freedland said. Students, staff, and faculty can all sign up to participate here. Contact Freedland at cass.freedland@goucher.edu or Emily Perl, assistant vice president for student success, at eperl@goucher.edu with any questions.

This event is sponsored by Goucher College in partnership with Project Pericles. Project Pericles is a not-for-profit organization that encourages and facilitates commitments by colleges and universities to include social responsibility and participatory citizenship as essential elements of their educational programs.

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